


Cinder

by Madriddler



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cinderella Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, Male Cinderella
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 06:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19824169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madriddler/pseuds/Madriddler
Summary: A Cinderella variant that I had to write for class. I hope you all enjoy.





	Cinder

Cinder

Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom forgotten by both time and man, as both loses memories as their ages go on, a woman gave birth to a beautiful boy with hair as black as soot that inspired the exhausted mother to name the boy Cinder. Throughout the years Cinder did not blame his mother for his name, nor did he blame her for his hair, which grew blacker with age though his skin remained a pale marble no matter how long he has been out in the sun. He was raised to be a kind boy, a gentle boy, and a polite boy. He always did his chores, always made sure to put the laundry up to dry, and he never talked back to any adults. All in all, Cinder was a parent’s dream child, cute and kind with nary a problem or worry weighing him down.

That was, of course, until his mother suffered a terrible and unexpected death when Cinder was young.

A few months later, his father remarried to a woman with two daughters of her own, who were all beautiful at face but vain and terrible at heart. When his mother was alive, Cinder lived a peaceful life in a comfortable bed in a modest home. But his father married up, and together they moved to a bigger home with many floors and many windows and many doors that led to many rooms that made Cinder very confused and dizzy when first he moved. His step-mother and step-sisters took an instant dislike for Cinder. On the first day there, the stepmother glared at Cinder with dull sapphire eyes and said, “We are a good family, we do not accept sin in this house! Cin will sleep in the basement where he belongs.” And so it was that while his father and step-family slept on comfortable beds in comfortable rooms in the comfortable manor, Cinder was forced to stay down below in the basement where his bed was made of old hay and his clothes reduced to rags and every night he would sleep to the lullaby of dripping water and scurrying of mice.

This was truly a devastating existence, dear readers, an existence that, under the circumstances, would break you and I, but Cinder kept his pride to himself. Throughout all of this, he never forgot what his mother taught him. He was always a kind boy, a gentle boy, and a polite boy. Though there were times where he wanted to talk back with his stepmother, he never did, though there were times where he wanted to scream at his awful stepsisters, he never did. He kept to his manners, even as his new family reduced him to nothing but a servant boy who washed the floors, did the dishes, cleaned all of their beautiful clothing that Cinder would never wear, and kept the house clean while his family lounged and lazed all day.

One day, Cinder’s father went to his children, asking what they wanted from the market. “I want the prettiest necklace they have!” one stepsister said, putting a hand on her chest, “the prettiest for the prettiest girl!” “I want a sleeve of jewelry,” the other stepsister said, “Bangles and bracelets, wristlets and gold! So that my arms will glitter in the sun and every boy will see that I am the prettiest in the land!”

Cinder’s father turned to Cinder and smiled, “And what do you want, my dear Cinder?” he asked.

Cinder thought before smiling, “I would like a tree sapling, so that mother can sleep in the tree’s shade, please,” Cinder said.

The father nodded and went off. At the marketplace he found the most beautiful necklace he could afford, and brought it, as well as many bracelets and bangles as he could see. However, the father could not find a place that sold tree saplings. So, he went off back home. On the way, a branch seemed to swipe at him, knocking his hat off! Taking this as a sign, and wanting petty revenge, the father broke off the branch so that Cinder could have his sapling.

The boy thanked his father profusely and ran to his mother’s grave, planting the branch. He watered it with his tears and whispered it his frustrations every day as he grieved for his mother. Day after day Cinder visited his mother, cried on her grave, and nourished the branch which took root and soon began to grow. As time moved slowly, the tree grew with the boy, becoming a tall and strong tree, home to many birds and animals that kept Cinder company whenever he visited his mother, whose grave was always in the tree’s shade, no matter where the sun was. Cinder grew to be a handsome boy, his hair just as black as soot, his skin as pale as marble, he had many worries and problems that weighed him down, however that did not stop the boy from being kind, gentle, nor polite.

One day, an announcer came to the manor. “Attention all!” he cried out to Cinder’s family. “The king has decreed that a festival will be held tonight! There the king will find his son, the Prince, a wife! All are invited!”

A festival! Cinder overheard the news as he did his chores, making sure that the floors were clean enough that it was as though you were walking on mirrors. “A festival,” he smiled, “I would like to go to the festival.”

“Hah! Did you hear that? Cin wants to go to the festival!” his first stepsister laughed.

“The festival! And make a mockery of the prince? Ha!” the second laughed. “Like a girl or anyone would want to dance with someone as ugly and frail as Cin!”

“He would be the mockery of the ball! Even the help would laugh at him!”

“If they aren’t already.” The sisters gave an ugly laugh and the stepmother went up to them. “Mother! Mother,” one of them said, “Cin wants to go to the festival!”

“Oh… does he now?” the stepmother said. A slow, wicked look grew on her face as she looked down at the boy in rags. “I suppose… I can allow it.”

“Mother!”

“ _If_ ,” the stepmother stressed, “the boy can finish all of his chores… including mending the stable, preparing our small lunch before we leave, making sure my dear girls’ dresses are perfect for the prince.” Behind her the stepsisters snickered. Cinder felt downtrodden but kept a kind face and went off to do his chores.

First, he went to the stables to see the wooden gate and fences have all been taken down. As though torn down by a freak of nature. The planks were heavy for Cinder, and he was never the best at woodwork, but being the good son that he is, he began to fix it. Nearby, Cinder heard the sounds of a horse galloping. He turned to see a handsome black horse carrying an even handsomer man near Cinder’s age. This young man had dark skin, obviously blessed by sunlight often, and a strong body as he rode the horse with ease. Cinder felt his cheeks go rosy and, in his distraction, dropped the wooden planks and hammer on his foot. His cry of pain caught the attention of the young man, who came swiftly towards him.

“Hello, are you alright?” the young man asked.

“Sorry, I just dropped the wood and hammer on my foot,” Cinder blushed, pulling his foot quickly from the wood. He fell to the floor to check and was thankful that he wasn’t bleeding. “My stepmother told me to fix the stables, but I am terrible at woodwork.”

“Then allow me to help,” the young man offered, sliding off his horse. “I’ll admit I am terrible at woodwork as well, but holding wood in place, I am very good at.”

“You don’t need to—”

“It would be against my code to not help a person in need,” the young man smiled. Cinder blushed again and his heart leapt for joy as, in that moment, the boy has fallen in love. He nodded and the two worked together, the young man holding the planks for Cinder to hammer them in place. Once the stables were finished, the young man got back on his horse as elegantly as he got off, and Cinder watched as his love went away.

For the rest of his chores, Cinder’s mind was on the young man he met, it did not matter the barbs or insults his stepsisters threw at him, for he had a song in his heart that lifted his spirits and echoed the birds that tweeted happily outside the manor. The sun moved across the sky, and Cinder did his chores, never complaining, always being kind, and soon he just had to fix his stepsisters’ dresses and then he can go to the festival!

“Cin! Hurry up!” the stepsisters squawked at him. Cinder got to their room to see the two in their dresses, both vainly beautiful made of pinks and greens. “Look at you Cin! A horse would make a better husband than you,” the stepsister in pink laughed. “He really should stay with them where he belongs!” She laughed as Cinder went to her. “Fetch me jewelry! I want a beautiful necklace to match my beautiful neck,” she said.

Cinder went to his stepsister’s jewelry box and looked around, finding the very beautiful necklace that his father brought for her when he went to the marketplace when they were all young. He came back and gave it to her, only for the girl to shriek in disgust, “Not that ugly old thing!” she said, “That belongs in the trash! Get me something new—something shiny! Move, I will do it myself!” And she pushed Cinder away, throwing the necklace out of the open window.

“Cin! Get me bangles and bracelets so that the Prince can see my beautiful arms shine and shimmer!” the second stepsister demanded. Again, Cinder went to his sister’s jewelry box which was filled with many beautiful bracelets and bangles made of silver and gold and emeralds and rubies. He took the time to pick out the most beautiful, sentimental ones which his father brought for her when he went to the marketplace when they were all young. He came back and gave them to her, only for the girl to shriek in disgust. “Not those disgusting things you idiot boy! I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing all those old things! Give me shiny bracelets—something expensive and eye catching! Move I’ll do it myself!” And she pushed past Cinder, throwing the bangles and bracelets out of the window.

Cinder stood in silent and watched as his stepsisters raided their own and each other’s jewelry boxes. Slinging insults and rude comments as they searched for the perfect, most expensive jewelry that they can wear. “Move over you cow!” “Get lost you snake!” “Your neck is a giraffe’s!” “Your arms are a monkey’s! And hairy too!” Cinder watched as they fought and shoved each other until, at last, both of them turned to Cinder. Their dresses looked a little wet from their sweat, but now both were wearing an abhorrent amount of jewelry, both girls looking more akin to a walking storefront than two young girls of marrying age. “This is your fault Cin!” the first one yelled, “if you hadn’t given me that ugly necklace I would have already been with the Prince!”

“This is your fault too Cin!” the second yelled, “if you did not give me those dull bangles, I would have been enchanting the Prince with my beautiful arms!”

“Ha! As if he would love to have your gorilla arms!”

“Better than your giraffe neck!”

“Girls!” It was the stepmother. She was standing in the doorway. “The carriage is here.”

Cinder smiled and turned to her, “Stepmother, my chores are done, my sisters are beautifully dressed, and the stable is fixed, now may I go to the festival?”

“The festival? Cin at the festival?” The stepmother said, a wickedly cruel look gracing her face. “Wearing what? Your rags? Boy, you’ve not time to find a proper outfit, unless you decide to mock the kingdom going in your rags. Cin… you are too ugly and pale to go to the festival. You’ll be a disgrace to our family, for who in this world would want to look upon sin?” The stepsisters laughed while Cinder trembled, his kind and hopeful expression turning to tears. “Come now ladies, the carriage awaits,” the stepmother said. The stepsisters laughed and jeered as they passed Cinder, pulling his hair as they did so.

Cinder stood crying until he heard the carriage carrying his family away, then he ran out and went to his mother’s grave, crying. The birds and animals who made the tree home, watched as Cinder cried so broken and trembled so much that it broke even their poor hearts. “I just wanted to go to the festival!” Cinder cried, “I just wanted to go dance and see the Prince!”

Heartbroken by Cinder’s request, the animals that lived in that mighty tree moved. Through magic or luck, it is not known, but the jewelry that the sisters threw away landed on the tree, shimmering in silvers and gold, emeralds and rubies. The birds and squirrels took the jewelry, and together made them into a beautiful suit that stunned the eye, matching Cinder’s kindness and deeds. The suit was silver, with emerald trimmings and a beautiful necklace that held a ruby heart on its pendent, as well as beautiful gold slippers that were comfortable to wear, for Cinder’s foot still hurt from fixing the stables. Together, the animals presented this gift to Cinder, who stopped crying. “For me?” he asked. “Oh thank you, thank you all, you are too kind.” He donned the beautiful clothes and smiled at his animal friends. “Mother,” he said, looking at the grave. “I am going to the festival and see the Prince! And hopefully I will see the young man I love!” And he was off.

At the festival, Cinder’s beauty and handsomeness caught the attention of man and woman alike. He did not know who the Prince was, but there, in the center, he saw the young man dancing with a girl. He smiled and waved, catching the young man’s attention. He immediately stopped dancing and went to Cinder, taking him as his dance partner. “I knew I would see you again,” the young man smiled.

“I am happy to see you again too,” Cinder said. “But why were you the only one dancing?” He looked around and then looked up at the young man, only to see a simple gold crown on his head. “You’re the Prince!” He gasped.

The Prince laughed goodheartedly, “You did not know?” he asked.

“I’m sorry your majesty—I just—I never actually saw you before and I—I did not even know your name!” Cinder said.

“That does not matter now, my handsome boy,” the Prince said, “for we are together again! And we can dance and talk the night away.” And so, they did, much to the looks and jealousy of the hopeful girls who gathered. The Prince danced with Cinder, and no one else. Midnight came and Cinder began to worry, he had to go home before his family finds that he was here!

“I’m sorry—I have to go,” Cinder said.

“Wait, I do not even know your name,” the Prince said, “How will I find you?”

“Cinder,” Cinder said quickly and began to run off. “Cinder is my name!” And in his haste to leave, his gold slipper slipped off of his foot as he ran down the steps. The Prince chased after him, but Cinder was gone before he could catch up, leaving only his slipper.

The next day, Cinder was again in rags and his uncomfortable shoes, doing his chores as always while his stepsisters screamed and raved about how the Prince did not even look at them, blaming Cinder of course (for who else to blame for their problem?). Suddenly, there was a sound of a trumpet and the announcer from yesterday yelled out, “Prince Jamel to visit the Perrault family.”

“The Prince!” the stepsisters gasped. “The prince is here! Get out Cin! Leave! You cannot dirty the prince’s eyes with your ugliness!” The doors swung open, and the Prince walked in, holding the golden slipper in his hand. He spotted Cinder, who was still with his stepsisters, and smiled just as Cinder’s father and stepmother came in. “See! He’s smiling at me!” “No, he’s not, he’s smiling at me!” “Shut it you great baboon!” “You giraffe!”

“Cinder,” The Prince said, causing the sisters to gasp. “You’ve left something.” And he presented the golden slipper.

“What is the meaning of this?” the stepmother demanded. “Your majesty, there surely must be a mistake.”

“My fair woman there is no mistake, your son Cinder is the boy I’ve danced with and fell in love with last night,” The Prince said, “he has left his shoe as he left, and I thought to return it to him, as well as ask for his hand in marriage.”

“Marriage! With Cin!” the Stepsisters screeched.

“Your majesty,” the stepmother said, “I mean no offense, but Cin here is, well, very sinful. He would be a blight on your family, are you sure that it wasn’t another boy you’ve danced with—or maybe my daughters will service instead? They can try on that slipper if you would like!”

“Thank you for your concerns, however I know that Cinder is the one for me,” The Prince smiled. He looked at Cinder and said, “Come, try on the slipper and show your family how right you are for me.”

Feeling strangely confident under his family’s gaze, Cinder walked up to the prince and took off his shoe. The Prince knelt down and slipped on the slipper. Magically, Cinder’s clothing changed! His rags disappeared, turning into a beautiful silver suit with emerald trimmings, and the beautiful gold necklace with the ruby heart returned to adorn Cinder’s neck. The Prince smiled and quickly twirled Cinder in the air. “At last I have found my love!” The Prince declared. “We shall marry on the morrow! Come, live with me in my palace Cinder, and we will live out the rest of our days in love!”

The next day, Cinder and the Prince were married, and they lived happily ever after.


End file.
